4 FanDuel Premier League Players to Avoid for Matchweek 1

The main slate for Matchweek 1 features six Saturday matches, two of which include clubs that finished last season’s campaign in the top five.

As with any sport, it is imperative to have your players, especially the high-priced studs, live up to their price tag. When making an investment into any player, it is important to determine which will likely contribute in FanDuel's emphasized areas (goals, assists, and shots on target). It's also just as important not to overspend on players in bad matchups.

We should look to take advantage of the teams -- and players -- who play especially well either home or away, while also looking at Vegas favorites and over/under totals. DFS players, as always, should check out injury reports and confirmed starting XI's when they become available.

Let's take a look at four players, across the entire pitch, who should be avoided in the upcoming matches.

Forward

Sandro Ramirez, Everton

FanDuel Price: $8,500

Everton enters Saturday's match as a 1-goal favorite over Stoke City, the third-largest favorite on the slate, and have an implied team total of 1.75 goals. Ramirez will be making his Premier League debut in front of the Toffees’ fans, who will be hoping he can fill the large gap left by Romelu Lukaku’s transfer to Manchester United.

Ramirez netted his first goal for the Toffees Sunday in a friendly against Sevilla, a squad he is familiar with after playing two seasons in La Liga. Ramirez made 40 appearances in those two seasons in La Liga, including 28 in the starting XI last season with Malaga, where he scored 14 goals.

The Potters conceded the ninth-most goals last season (56), but they were productive at keeping opposing forwards from scoring. They were the fifth-best squad against opposing forwards, allowing only 18 goals. The Potters will enter this campaign with a slightly different back line, one which should feature Kurt Zouma, who is on loan from Chelsea.

Ramirez stated that the Premier League is a perfect fit for him, and he may have an excellent campaign. However, DFS players should wait and see how he adjusts to the physicality of the EPL, and how the Toffees adjust to Lukaku’s absence.

Midfielder

Bernardo Silva, Manchester City

FanDuel Price: $8,500

City made one of the largest Premier League signings of the summer when they inked Silva from Monaco, and he made his debut with the squad during their final preseason match in Iceland.

City is tied with Chelsea as the largest favorite on the slate (-1.5), and both squads have implied totals of 2.25 goals, with both matches having an over/under of 3 goals.

Silva may be an intriguing option due to his name recognition and the fact that he scored 33 goals last season in Ligue 1, but he does not own a guaranteed role in City’s starting XI, especially if David Silva continues his dominance. The recent transfer admitted after the match in Iceland that he may not be fully fit, as he has not had many training sessions with his new squad.

Bernardo Silva will likely turn into an excellent signing for City, but DFS players need to see how Pep Guardiola will utilize the talented midfielder, especially after a busy summer competing in the Confederations Cup, before investing in the fifth-highest priced midfielder.

Defender

Adam Smith, Bournemouth

FanDuel Price: $6,000

Smith is tied for the sixth-highest priced defender for Matchweek 1, along with 17 other defenders, and he averaged 16.96 FanDuel points last season.

Smith had some injury concerns entering the season, but he was able to feature in the Cherries preseason matches against Valencia and Yeovil Town. Smith should be in the starting XI Saturday against West Brom.

FanDuel’s defensive scoring categories tend to favor center-backs or defenders who see heavy pressure from their opponent, although full-backs can score well if they get in on the attack. The Baggies were the Premier League’s worst squad at maintaining possession last season, and they might continue that trend in 2017-18.

The Baggies enter Saturday’s match as a slight favorite over the Cherries (-145), and both squads have an implied team total of 1.25 goals. Since there are a large number of defenders in the $6,000 price range, DFS players should look for a defender who has a higher chance to produce in FanDuel’s emphasized scoring categories, especially in a GPP.

Goalie

Fraser Forster, Southampton

FanDuel Price: $4,500

Goalie scoring on FanDuel is greatly affected by clean sheets and saves, meaning DFS players should target at least one of those categories -- either aiming for a clean sheet or save volume. The top three keepers on Saturday’s slate should have a good opportunity for one of those categories, with Burnley’s Tom Heaton and Stoke’s Jack Butland expecting a high number of save opportunities. Everton’s Jordan Pickford could be in line for a clean sheet in his first appearance for the Toffees.

Forster and the Saints host Swansea at St. Mary’s Stadium. The Saints are a 1-goal favorite, and the over/under is set at 2.5 goals. The Swans have an implied team total of 0.75 goals.

Last season, the Swans produced the ninth-fewest saves to opposing goalies while producing the 10th-fewest clean sheets. There are three goalies just $500 more in a seemingly better matchup and a few goalies at the same price level ($4,500) -- Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois and Brighton’s Mat Ryan, a clean sheet option and a high volume play, respectively -- so investing in Forster is a risky proposition for Matchweek 1.